In 1902 a catastrophic volcanic eruption obliterated the town of St. Pierre on the Caribbean Island of Martinique, killing some 28,000 individuals in a flash. A young French naval lieutenant, George Hebert, valiantly coordinated the evacuation of over 700 people, both indigenous and European, from the outskirts of the town. The experience had a profound effect on him. For as he watched people move in those crucial first moments, it seemed that the indigenous people overcame the obstacles in their path with grace and creativity while the Europeans moved badly, searching for familiar pathways which now no longer existed. It was clear to him that “modern man” had lost the ability to move efficiently and effectively in all but the most routine environments. In addition, the heroism and tragedy he witnessed on that day reinforced his belief that, to be of real value, athletic skill and physical conditioning must be joined with courage and altruism, an epiphany which gave rise to the original motto of parkour: “Etre fort pour être utile” – “Be strong to be useful.”
Years later, Raymond Belle, a fireman and a veteran of the French Special Forces, returned to his hometown of Lisses on the outskirts of Paris. There he introduced the discipline of Parcours du combattant and the teachings of Hebert to his young son David and a group of David’s close friends, who then set out to adapt Raymond’s teachings to their “natural setting”, giving birth to what we now know as “parkour.” And furthermore, it was given the shape of a family/organisation by the World Free Running Parkour Federation which, with a lot of hard work, brought athletes all around the world under one umbrella. But who knew this sport will find its way to Kashmir and the youth will be able to learn it.
Zahid Yaqoob Shah, 25 years old, from downtown Srinagar is the founder of Kashmir Parkour (Free Running). He started martial arts at a very early age. As a result, he has a first-degree black belt in Renmei Gojuryu Karate and a second-degree black belt in Seiko Kai Karate. In 2015 he bagged the first prize in the gymnastics category of Kashmir Got Talent. He is now a trainer at Kashmir Harvard Educational Institute and is introducing the students to parkour. Zahid is an inspiration for many athletes and is training the first generation of Kashmir parkour learners with zeal. Zahid defines parkour as: “It is the act of moving from point ‘a’ to point ‘b’ using the obstacles in your path to increase your efficiency. It is an activity or sport of moving rapidly through an area, typically in an urban environment, negotiating obstacles by running, jumping, and climbing. For me, parkour is freedom from everything that tries to cage me and it is a moment of peace, love and happiness.”
Zahid came to know about parkour from the National Geography’s Show called Fight Science. Martial arts were a fantasy for him from the very beginning of his life; and in that show, they used to show extreme forms of martial arts and relate them to science. One episode in that show called Stealth fighters introduced to him something new and out of the box; it was parkour. This new sport occupied his mind and he felt like, “I have to really do it.” But it was not easy to adopt a new sport, particularly a sport which had never been played by any Kashmiri. He learned all the techniques of parkour from YouTube and practised where ever he got enough space. With time other youth got interested when they saw him practising parkour. Now they are a team of about 20 young men practising together and it has given birth to Kashmir Free Running Parkour.
Zahid practised in a local community park near his home all alone. For beginners to practise parkour, mats and other gear are required to ensure safety. It was never easy to practise without basic equipment, but he used what was available to him. People thought he was crazy and termed his parkour as “monkey jumping”; nobody knew anything about parkour or free running. But Zahid’s inspiration, Ryan Doyle (Founding athlete of WFPF), kept him moving on. The WFPF provided him with exposure and a platform to showcase his talent, which was purely self-taught.
The WFPF is an organization of athletes from around the world who’ve come together to help bring the sport and philosophy of parkour to mainstream audiences everywhere. Every person who makes a discovery and posts it on YouTube contributes to that process. Once parkour stops changing, once someone defines what it is in a set of rules, it’s over. By bringing together a diverse group of practitioners from all kinds of places and backgrounds, each with their own unique mentality, and each with deep roots in the wider community, the WFPF’s goal is that the voices of the movement will continue to shape that change in a positive direction. WFPF-sponsored Athletes are individuals with a real passion for parkour and free running. Being physically talented is certainly an important component of this. However, as the global community continues to become more and more connected, those who regularly appear in videos, photography, and have a strong community involvement will continue to shape the future of the movement. Zahid is the only and first Kashmiri who got sponsored by WFPF. It was a dream that took him about seven years of hard work and practice.
Last year Zahid attended a certification course in the USA. It helped him to take his sport to the advanced level. He had started parkour training and a parkour awareness drive, but it was time for him to go the extra mile and get himself certified as a coach. After knowing his passion for parkour, WFPF and IPF (International Parkour Federation) invited him this year to train with other athletes belonging to different nations. Zahid Shah is the ambassador of IPF’s new initiative called “Peace Through Parkour” and will be talking about Kashmir, parkour and conflict in Florida.
